Writing insights, Tips for advertising, X-Ray, Audiobook Publishing, KDP Jumpstart, Kindle Create Beta, NaNoWriMo and much more

In this issue: Writing insights, Tips for advertising, X-Ray, Audiobook Publishing, KDP Jumpstart, Kindle Create Beta, NaNoWriMo and much more Writing insights from best-selling author Hugh Howey Over on Amazon Author Insights, best-selling author Hugh Howey shares the things he wishes he knew about writing, publishing, and marketing his books at the start of his career. Howey's four-part series covers everything from rough drafts to revisions to publication and beyond. According to Howey, anyone can become a successful writer; the only person who can stop you is you. Read More 10 tips for holiday book advertising It's never too early to start planning your book advertising strategy for the upcoming holiday season. To help, Amazon Marketing Services created a guide for 2017 holiday preparedness to share tips and tricks for making the most of your book ads through the end of the year - and beyond. Get the Guide Introducing KDP Jumpstart KDP Jumpstart is an end-to-end guide for turning your finished manuscript into a published book. The guide offers step-by-step instructions, video resources, downloadable checklists, and insider tips to help you put your best book forward. Learn More Add X-Ray Content to your books! Did you know that with X-Ray for Authors, a free Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) tool, you can add your own definitions, descriptions, or commentary that will show up when the reader engages the X-Ray feature? X-Ray is a unique Kindle eBook feature that allows readers to learn more about a character, topic, event, place, or any other term, simply by pressing and holding on the term or character that interests them. With X-Ray for Authors, you can now add new X-Ray entries, edit existing ones, or enable X-Ray for a new book. Even a few descriptive words can make a big difference to the reader as they try and situate characters or learn more about terms or events. Learn More Improve the process of formatting books for publication Kindle Create (Beta) is a tool designed to automatically transform a completed manuscript into a beautiful Kindle eBook. We recently released this and would love to hear your feedback. With Kindle Create, you can apply a book theme to match your story, detect and style chapter titles automatically and much more. Since its release, our beta users have helped us improve the tool while publishing thousands of books using Kindle Create. We are seeking additional feedback from more KDP Authors. Learn More Get an Introduction to Audiobook Publishing at ACX University Producing an audiobook edition of your book can enhance your readership and increase your book's earning potential. Our sister site, ACX.com, has just released ACX University 2017, an educational program with everything you need to know to create and promote a dynamic audiobook. From casting your project to working with your narrator, to marketing your completed audiobook, ACX University is a free way to master the art of audiobook publishing. Whether you are new to audiobooks or have already published yours, enjoy more than four hours of free videos from industry experts. Get Started How to Write a Novel in a Month In the month of November, authors are challenged to do the unthinkable and write 50,000-word novels-in just 30 days! Join hundreds of other participating authors and get a head start on next year's resolutions with this great exercise in creating content under a deadline. Check out the CreateSpace blog for tips and tricks on planning for NaNoWriMo, encouragement for staying committed, and advice on tracking progress. Want to be published or get editorial feedback? Submit your manuscript to Kindle Scout! As part of our NaNoWriMo sponsorship activities, Kindle Scout will be giving personalized editorial feedback for all shortlisted manuscripts this November and December. If you submit your manuscript, your book may be considered for a publishing contract with Kindle Press in 45 days or less! Learn More Help KDP Celebrate 10 Years by Sharing Your Success Story To celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Kindle Direct Publishing, we're inviting KDP authors like you to tweet about the first time you felt successful as a self-published author. Success isn't simply about book sale numbers; it's about your own personal definition of success, something that looks different for every writer. When you tweet about your success, we invite you to use the hashtag #KDP10Year along with a link to your book. Here is an example: Put my kids through college thanks to the income from my self-published books #KDP10Year [book link] We look forward to hearing your story. Expand Your Book's Reach KDP CreateSpace ACX Kindle Scout Kindle Worlds Kindle Reading Apps Amazon Author Central Amazon Author Central.uk Resources   CreateSpace How-to Resource Guide KDP How-to Resource Guide KDP Help Pages CreateSpace 4900 Lacross Road, North Charleston, SC 29406 Copyright © 2000 - 2016, CreateSpace, a DBA of On-Demand Publishing, LLC.